Great Brands Don’t Restart from Scratch

The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results

Great brands almost never reinvent themselves whole cloth. Rather, they evolve to meet the needs of the customers that already love them.

I recently listened to a presentation by Deb Cavanagh, Senior VP Marketing forTalbots. Her cautionary tale is one that’s been played out through a variety of organizations, but is worth revisiting.From 2007 to 2011, the then-leadership of Talbots decided that the brand needed to “get younger.” At the time, the company’s clothing had broad and enduring appeal to women between the ages of 45 and 65. They overhauled their entire line, executed all-new creative featuring women between the ages of 25 and 40, and rolled it out with expensive ad and PR campaigns.

The effort failed spectacularly.

The problem is that “being hip” isn’t what the Talbots customer wanted, then or now. What she  wanted was for the company to be true to its brand.

In hindsight, it’s easy to imagine the discussions that led to the decision to “get younger.” I can envision employees atTalbots walking out of focus groups sessions with with the incessant message, “You’re not hip,” echoing in their heads.

The problem is that “being hip” isn’t what the Talbots customer wanted, then or now. What she wanted was for the company to be true to its brand.

In business, as in life, hindsight offers us the benefit of pointing out where we took wrong turns.

There’s an important distinction to be made here. The customer wasn’t asking Talbots to be stodgy. She was asking them to offer clothes that she wanted to wear. Clothes that Talbots refers to as “at once timely and timeless.”

Fortunately for Talbots, it wasn’t too late to return to their roots. Since 2014, when Deb Cavanagh arrived, she has helped refocus the company’s energy into “being who we are.”

The results can be summed up in four words they often hear from customers:”Thank God you’re back!”

In business, as in life, hindsight offers us the benefit of pointing out where we took wrong turns. What’s more difficult is to admit we made a mistake, do something about it, then share the story with others. Here’s to Deb Cavanagh and Talbots for doing just that.